Winter 2015 - The Cornell Chimes

The Cornell Chimes Newsletter
News and Notes from the Cornell Chimesmasters
Winter 2015
u
Number 48
Chimesmaster’s Corner – A Year in the Chimes
Keiran Cantilina ‘15, head chimesmaster
This past March, the Cornell Chimesmasters took a break from the competition to visit the
Syracuse University chimesmasters! We had a blast hanging out with our Syracuse analogues
at their 10-bell instrument. Unlike the Cornell Chimes, the Syracuse Chimes are shrouded in
mystery; the members are inducted in secret by tapping, and most people on the campus have
no idea how the chimes are played. The bells are housed in Crouse Tower, and the playing stand
is sequestered in a tiny chamber accessible only by a terrifyingly long ladder. Although the
public is no longer permitted in the tower, the ancient graffiti covering the walls reminded me
of our own crowd-sourced decoration in McGraw Tower’s practice room. Our hosts graciously
let us try out their instrument after they demonstrated their own prodigious skill at the levers.
Although the Syracuse playing stand resembles the setup at the top of McGraw Tower, we found
their instrument pretty tricky to play. The mechanism is much heavier than ours, and they only
have pedals for the lowest bells. Chiming at Syracuse is quite a workout!
We spent the rest of the day at Syracuse’s enormous “Destiny USA” shopping mall. The
chimesmasters decided to challenge themselves and do some team building by tackling a high
ropes course together. It was pretty fun, but I still think the ladder in Crouse Tower was harder.
We also were supposed to stop by the Alfred
University carillon the next afternoon,
but the weather turned out nastier than
expected and we had to head straight back
to Ithaca instead. Alfred has a “no bell
playing below 40 degrees” policy. I think
there’s now a tradition of Chimes road trips
happening upon horrible weather, if I am
to judge by the last two years.
The competition this past year went
smoothly, with a bit of a change from
previous years. For the first time, the role
Costumed chimesmasters at the 50th Annual Chimes Halof competition coordinator was introduced
loween Concert. A salute to Bob Feldman ‘66, ‘75 for startto help handle most of the administrative
ing this wonderful tradition! Photo provided by Emily Graf.
and logistical aspects of the competition.
Weijia Chen ‘14 assumed the new role, and we both worked together to make the competition a
success. After the typical ten weeks, we were excited to welcome Serim An ‘17 and Ren Ortega
‘15 into the chimesmaster tradition! I look forward to working with Ilia Karp ’15 in his role as
competition coordinator this spring.
In May, we reluctantly lost Hyangmi Kwak, Barrett Smith, and
Weijia Chen to graduation. It happens every year, yet graduation
this past year was a striking reminder to me that I’m next. It’ll be
interesting to see who gets to write this article next year!
“Chime masters come and ring and go;
They come and ring and have their day.
We listen for a while and lo,
Remembering, must go our way.”
from “The Chime Master” by Albert W. Smith ‘78
Summer in Ithaca was a relaxing time for the chimes, this year
manned by Charlie Xu ‘16 and Ilia Karp ‘15. Along with the typical
wedding specialty concerts, the Cornell Chimes Summer Sunday
Sunset Series (C2S4) program of themed weekend concerts was
revived after the hiatus the previous year. In addition, the chimes
received a visit from TinShi Tam, the University Carillonneur of
Iowa State University.
Keiran Cantilina (KKC) is a senior in the Biological Sciences major,
concentrating in Plant Science. He looks forward hopefully to
the prospect of staying at Cornell as a PhD candidate in Plant
Pathology, where he’d be able to continue enthusiastically playing
the chimes while also enthusiastically doing research on obscure
crop diseases.
In the fall, the most exciting concert of the season was extraspecial this year. We celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Annual
Chimes Halloween Concert at the top of the tower right on
Halloween night! The turnout was great, and both chimesmasters
and audience had a grand time.
Chimesmasters Welcome Canadian Parliament
Carillonneur for Master Class
Jennifer Lory-Moran ’96, ’97, chimes advisor
The chimes year concluded with the traditional Christmas
Vespers concerts. This year, we were were pleasantly surprised
by dozens of Glee Club and Chorus members climbing the tower
after Vespers to sing Chimes-accompanied Christmas carols in
flawless four part harmony. We hope to continue this new intermusical tradition in the coming years!
We’re now in the midst of spring semester. It’s a pretty normal
spring so far, with the typical grey skies, perpetual precipitation,
and ceaselessly practicing compets that have marked the
beginning of spring semester for me since I’ve been at Cornell. I’m
excited at the thought that our future chimesmasters are already
in the competition, somewhere in that crowd! In contrast, I look
toward my impending graduation with reluctant acceptance but
also thankfulness. I’m grateful for all I’ve experienced at Cornell,
and I’m especially thankful for the joy and community that the
tower and chimes family has brought me, even through a busy
three semesters of head chimesmaster-ship. It’s been great! If I
ever leave, I’ll be back soon.
On Saturday, September 20, 2014, the chimesmasters
welcomed Dr. Andrea McCrady to McGraw Tower for a master
class. Andrea is the Dominion Carillonneur for the Canadian
Parliament, and she provided many interesting insights about
practice, performance, and arranging.
All ten chimesmasters participated in the class, which lasted
about four hours (with a break in the middle to walk down to
Collegetown for lunch). The Cornell Chimes Newsletter
is published twice per year
by the Cornell Chimes.
Edited by Marisa LaFalce
‘96.
Please contact us with your comments and feedback
or if you would like to be added to our mailing list.
The Cornell Chimes:
Web: www.chimes.cornell.edu
Email: chimes@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-5350
Post: B07 Day Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853
Cornell University is an equal-opportunity, affirmative action educator
and employer.
Keith Jenkins ‘93 receives instruction from Andrea McCrady at a master class in September. Photo by Jennifer Lory-Moran.
Here are some of my own “take-aways” from our day with
Andrea:
* In bell arrangements, less is more. Thin it out. Take out
middle voices when possible. Don’t repeat a note that was
just played.
* An arrangement is just an arrangement. If you don’t agree
with how it’s written, change it!
* Look at original scores and listen to the piece in its original
form to see how it was translated to make the arrangement.
Playing a song? Find the lyrics and know those, too.
* Prepare! Once a note is struck, it’s struck. Move on to the
next note as quickly as possible.
* Something to try: to bring out the high notes more clearly,
try putting your hand further forward on the lever for better
mechanical advantage.
* Mark up your pieces - make “performance copies” for
yourself.
* Consider studying Alexander Technique to learn about body
ergonomics and balance.
* “Goldilocks” Practice Technique - Play the passage very
slowly to see if you can play it in a controlled manner. Then
play it very quickly to look for phrasing and make the regular
tempo seem easier. Also try this technique with playing too
loud and too soft (and then “just right”!)
* The place that we listen to the compets play each spring (on
the overlook next to the tower) is not the best spot for hearing
the bells. There are many better listening spots further away
from the tower.
Educational opportunities such as master classes, and road
trips happen annually thanks to the support of the Monica
Novakovic Chimes Program Endowment.
Thank you to our generous alumni and friends for their gifts to the Cornell Chimes general fund, the Chimes
Unrestricted Program Endowment, and to the Sibal and Novakovic Endowments over the past year (fiscal year July
2013-June 2014). Your gift today will make an immediate and lasting impact on the Cornell Chimes program.
Mrs. Betty Allen ‘45
Dr. Michael Berkwits ‘86
Dr. Barbara L. Bessey ‘69
Dr. Sean M. Bolks ‘90
Ms. Kathryn Kraus Bolks ‘91
Ms. Kristin Overgaard Bond ‘85
Ms. Laura J. Brewer GR
Dr. Nancy G. Brown ‘85
Mr. Timothy B. Brown ’84, GR
Dr. Charles W. Carpenter ‘59
Mrs. Susan M. Carpenter
Mr. Kevin M. Casey
Ms. Lauren F. Casey ‘02
Ms. Weijia Chen ‘14
Dr. Joseph M. Conte ‘82
Ms. Crystal Cun ‘07
Ms. Mary Lou J. Currivan ‘68
Ms. Holly E. Domke ‘14
Ms. Marcy Dubroff ‘84
Mr. Alan R. Erickson ‘03
Mr. Robert L. Feldman ‘66
Ms. Susan E. Feldman ‘67
Mr. David R. Fister ‘75
Ms. Deborah Lyon Fister ‘74
Ms. Maura M. Flatley GR
Mrs. Maralyn Winsor Fleming ‘45
Dr. Robert H. Frankenfeld ‘45
Dr. Neil A. Gershenfeld GR
Mr. Jeff Giroux
Ms. Lisa Giroux
Mrs. Barbara J. Gottling ‘54
Dr. Richard C. Grambow ‘55
Mrs. Barbara Allen Grambow ‘56
Mr. Neal D. Haber ‘75
Ms. Suzanne Heller Haber ‘75
Ms. Amanda Hadad
Dr. Richard A. Haggard ‘58
Mrs. Constance C. Haggard ‘58
Mrs. Faith G. Hall ‘46
Mr. R. Stephen Hawley ‘43
Roger Malcolm Haydon
Mr. Peter A. J. Hellmold ‘70
Ms. Erica Ho ‘13
Mr. John H. Hoare Jr. ’56, GR
Ms. Mary Jane Hoare
Ms. Margaret C. Hobbie ‘72
Mr. John A. Hupcey ‘74
Mr. W. Richard Johnson ‘80
Dr. David Jordan ‘62
Ms. Carol Jordan ‘62
Mr. Richard J. Keegan ‘49
Mrs. Joan N. Keegan ‘50
Mr. Alemshet Kidane
Ms. Hyangmi Kwak ‘13
Ms. Marisa P. LaFalce ‘96
Mr. Thomas P. LaFalce Jr. ‘94
Ms. Jennifer Lory-Moran ’96, GR
Mr. Michael B. Maltenfort ‘91
Capt. Lane I. McClelland ’70, GR
Mr. Peter P. Miller Jr. ‘44
Mr. John L. Neuman ‘62
Mrs. Carolyn Chauncey Neuman ‘64
Ms. Lisa Rose Ngai ‘05
Judy S. Ogden Esq. ’71, GR
Mrs. Patricia K. Paolella ‘46
Ms. Jane Park ‘97
Mr. Steven Passmore
Ms. Deborah Passmore
Mr. Joe Pesaresi ‘75
Ms. Mary Pesaresi ‘75
Ms. Anna L. Romer
Hon. Franklin T. Russell ’58, GR
Mr. Peter Ryde
Mr. Steven J. Santurri ‘87
Dr. John A. Sawchuk ‘71
Mrs. Gioia A. Sawchuk ‘73
Ms. Lynnette M. Scofield
Mr. David Silverstein Esq. ‘68
Ms. Leslie Roth Silverstein ‘73
Mr. Scott A. Silverstein ‘08
Mr. Harry Simon ‘70
Ms. Kristen C. Simpson ‘98
Mr. David Lyons Stanford ‘05
Ms. Sarah J. Stanford ‘05
Ms. Denise S. Tennen ‘80
Ms. Jennifer S. Turney GR
Dr. George A. Ubogy ‘58
Mrs. Jo Ubogy
Ms. Concordia van Hoesel ‘93
Ms. Christine P. Wang ‘88
Dr. George R. Wiggans ‘68
Mrs. Elizabeth J. Wiggans ‘69
Miss Mary J. Wolfe ‘71
Mr. Daniel R. Zlatin GR
Alumni Notes
First we want to acknowledge the many
alumni chimesmasters who returned
to Cornell in the past year. Alumni
chimesmasters are always welcome in
the tower and encouraged to play!
As winter continues for much of the
country, we’ll start with our chimes
alumni who are enjoying warmer
environs!
Judy Ogden ’71, GR reports that she
has relocated from Michigan to Myrtle
Beach, South Carolina. “I am enjoying
the opportunity to play the carillon at
The Citadel in Charleston. I have been
playing about once a week when the
campus is open.”
including several marriage proposals.
But there is one that is closest to our
hearts. Ivana Thng ’12 was engaged in
the tower this past spring. “After my
clock tower proposal in March 2014,
I will be getting married to Liang Ze
Wong ‘12 this coming July in Singapore.
When he drove me to all my morning
concerts and always volunteered to
open the tower door for visitors before
a concert while I was practicing up top,
I knew he was a keeper! All chimes
friends in the South East Asian region
are welcome to attend.” Ivana and her
fiancé reside in Seattle.
at the The First Unitarian Society in
Newton (FUSN) 11-bell chime along
with other Boston-area chimesmasters
Kathryn Barger GR, Cathy LongleyCook ’03, ’05, Scott Silverstein ’08,
and Jenny Xia ‘13. Over the summer
they played three evening concerts
including one with an audience singalong. The concerts were announced
in the local community and to the
Cornell Club of Boston. Over 40
people, including many Cornellians
were in attendance at each concert.
“No chimes, let alone carillons, in
Sarasota, Florida unless one counts
the electronic chimes in the Methodist
Church half a mile away, playing very
pleasant but one-dimensional music.
One of my fellow condominium
owners down here is Wylie Crawford,
the carillonneur of the Rockefeller
Memorial carillon of the University of
Chicago and president of the World
Carillon Federation. We spent a very
pleasant evening talking, but not
playing, bells,” wrote George Ubogy
’58.
Over the past year we have had
many joyful events in McGraw Tower
During Cornell’s winter break, Keiran
Cantilina ‘15 and Ren Ortega ‘16
paid a visit to Boston and played the
Newton chime as well as visited with
alumni chimesmasters.
Ren Ortega ‘16 and Keiran Cantilina ‘15 bundle up to play the chimes at the First Unitarian
Society in Newton, MA. Photo by Jenny Xia.
From the travelogue: John ‘56 and
Mary Jane Hoare joined about 40
Cornell alumni in July for a cruise
to Alaska. “It was a great trip and
included seeing grizzly bears, seals,
whales and bald eagles and a beautiful
blue glacier up close. The crab we had
on one side trip was ‘to die for’ it was
so good. The weather could have been
a little less rainy but nonetheless it was
a good time.”
Kathryn Barger GR, Cathy Longley-Cook ‘03,
‘05, Jenny Xia ‘13, and Bob Feldman ‘66, ‘75
play a summer concert at a Newton, MA chime.
Photo provided by Bob Feldman.
Jenny Xia ‘13 reunites with Dick ‘58, ‘65 and
Connie ‘58 Haggard at CALC in Boston. Photo
provided by Jenny Xia.
Bob Feldman ’66, ’75 remains active
in the bell world by regularly playing
And speaking of Boston connections,
Jenny Xia ‘13 was pleasantly surprised
to run into Dick ‘58, ‘65 Haggard and
his wife Connie ‘58 at Cornell’s Annual
Alumni Leadership Conference (CALC)
in January.
We close our Alumni Notes by bidding
a farewell to our chimes friends who
passed away in 2014. They included
Mrs. Barbara Hall Browne ’44, Mr.
Philip H. Haselton Jr. ’49, MR. Richard
E. McErlean ’49, Mr. Neil E. Munch
’48, Mrs. Patricia K. Paolella ’46, Mr.
Anthony G. Tappin ’49, Mrs. Roxanne
R. Williams ’49, and Mr. E-An Zen ’51.
You are in our thoughts.
Remembering Erwin
Jennifer Lory-Moran ’96, ‘97
The Cornell Chimes community was stunned and saddened
to hear of the unexpected passing of Erwin Chan ‘00 on
January 2, 2015. We are all grieving the loss of such a
talented, committed, and caring man.
Erwin tried out for the chimes in the Spring of 1997. He
was serious, purposeful, confident, not one for small talk,
and with musical talents that could not be missed. Erwin
only played the chimes for two years – the bells were being
tuned his junior year – but he left a legacy that has affected
generations of chimesmasters. He had a reputation as a
brilliant performer, prolific arranger, and effective (and
demanding) coach.
Erwin wrote some of the most challenging arrangements in
our files. He completed 30-40 arrangements, known for
their technical and musical beauty. Most of his arrangements
were the works of classical or romantic composers – Bach,
Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff. Given his love
of classical music, it always amused me that Erwin also
wrote our arrangements of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”
by Frankie Vallie and “Part of Your World” from The Little
Mermaid. But those were pieces he arranged for friends –
and Erwin’s friends meant a lot to him.
chimesmaster. I think it will be considered one of Erwin’s
most lasting contributions to Cornell Chimes history, a
history that he came to know so well.
After he left Cornell, while in graduate school at Penn, Erwin
became a collector of Cornelliana, including an incredible
collection of vintage postcards of McGraw Tower. Some
may remember Erwin’s wonderful presentation of chimes
history and the memorabilia he had collected at the Chimes
Reunion in 2010. As his collection evolved, Erwin himself
evolved into an expert on the history of Cornell and the
chimes.
Erwin appreciated and understood the Cornell Chimes
like no one else. Even chimesmasters who never got to
meet Erwin are familiar with the stories of his playing, his
collecting, and, of course, all the wonderful music he gave
us. He will be remembered, and he will be deeply, deeply
missed.
The chimesmasters will be arranging a musical tribute in
honor of Erwin later this semester. Details will sent out via the
chimes-alum-l listserve once plans have been finalized.
We keep a “Top of the Tower” journal upstairs where Erwin
wrote some extensive, honest, reflective entries. Erwin
said about his arrangements, “I wanted good quality music
to play, so I arranged them for myself. When I did hear
other people playing them, I always thought no, no! That’s
not the way to play that piece! It’s worse in my duets. I
know how I want the piece to be played, but I don’t have
4 arms and 3 legs…” I remember that Erwin was always
quite demanding about how one should play his duets with
him. He pushed us all to be our best.
Throughout Erwin’s time as a chimesmaster, he made a habit
of recording himself playing, from his very first concert
through his graduation. After he graduated, he put them all
together into a collection of 15 compact disks titled The Art
of EC. There were recordings of Erwin playing throughout
his years at Cornell, both alone and with others, before
and after the bells were tuned. It was a massive project
and is an incredible documentation of the progress of a
Correction: In the 2014 edition of the Cornell Chimes
Newsletter, we incorrectly captioned a photo of Bryan
Chong ‘13, ‘14 playing the bells at the Christian Science
Mother Church in Boston during a chimesmaster roadtrip. That instrument is an 18-bell chime, not a carillon.
Erwin Chan ‘00 plays a duet with Lauren (Marino) Casey ‘02.
After graduating from Cornell, he began wearing gloves to
protect his hands - he played with such intensity, he felt they
were necessary because he wasn’t playing as regularly. Photo
by Marisa LaFalce.
Student Spotlight on Emily Graf ‘16
Interviewed by Marisa LaFalce ‘96
On a dreary gray December day, I sat down in the cozy browsing
library in Willard Straight Hall for a cheerful interview with Emily
Graf.
Emily, thank you for meeting with me this afternoon. Have you
finished your exams?
Not yet, I have one more to turn in tomorrow. But I’m basically
done, and heading home after I turn in the paper.
Congratulations. You must be glad to be almost done. How has
semester been?
It’s been a good semester, but busy, because I’m going abroad
next semester. So I’ve had lots of classes in my major to take
so that I’m ready to go away next term. Well, and I’m a double
major, first Anthropology and now also Psychology… so I have a
lot of classes to take but they are classes that I enjoy.
You must be excited to go away next semester. You’re headed to
Nepal?
Yes, I am very excited, nervous too, but excited! There are not
too many kids going (on this program) which is sort of nice, so it’s
a smaller group.
That’s a pretty unusual destination, how did you settle on Nepal?
They have a very strong anthro(pology) program so that was one of
the main reasons. Also, I wanted to go somewhere different. I’ve
been to Europe before, plus there are many good anthropology
reasons to go. Also, the field research has you meeting with many
different Nepali families and students, and you live with a Nepali
family. I’ve travelled abroad before and the best part is meeting
people, so I am excited about that.
Will you do any trekking while you are there?
Yes, we have one trek; it is about a week long and it’s not too
intense. I think you stay in lodges, so it’s not too rigorous. Which
is good because I’m not the most athletic person. But I may stay
after the program ends and do some additional travel – my family
may come visit.
Yes, I’ve heard the hills are way worse than Ithaca! Anthropology,
why does this subject interest you?
I’ve always been interested in it since high school. I love travelling
and seeing other cultures - and learning how we’re different.
With your majors in Anthropology and Psychology are you
thinking about graduate school or is it too early?
I’m not entirely sure… I definitely want to take some time off if I
decide to go to grad school, either to work for a non-profit or to
do Teach for America, or something like that, but I’m not entirely
sure yet.
We’ve had several recent grads involved in Teach for America,
or related programs including Peter Im ’13 and Jenny Xia ‘13.
Fortunately you have time to decide what’s next. Studying abroad
Emily Graf ‘16 plays a duet with Ilia Karp ‘15. Photo by Cornell
University Photography.
in Nepal sounds exotic... You originally hail from New Jersey
–slightly less exotic around here. What part?
I live on the Central Shore, near the beach. It’s the “Bruce
Springsteen area” (which refers to Asbury Park, New Jersey).
So was your family or towns impacted by Hurricane Sandy?
The areas around us were very hard hit, but fortunately our
town and house was pretty okay. I was here (at Cornell) when
it happened, but my family lost power for more than two
weeks, and I had a friend whose house was moved totally off
the foundation.
It must have been weird to be here while the storm was
happening, and then to go back and see everything devastated.
Yes. We live near a beach town and it was so weird to see all
of the beach clubs boarded up. Now if you go back, some
things are still boarded up but many businesses are back to
what they used to be.
Being the globetrotter that you are, weren’t you one of three
chimesmasters in Taiwan this summer (along with Keiran
Cantilina ’15 and Charlie Xu ’16)?
Yes, I think were all there at least at different points during the
summer.
What brought you to Taiwan?
I was there as part of a program that teaches English to Junior
High School students in rural areas. I was there just a month,
during that time, they train you, then you teach for two
weeks, and then you tour the countryside for a week. It was
fun. I have never taught before, and many of the students
spoke no English - and I don’t speak any Mandarin, so it was
challenging but fun.
Do you speak any other languages?
I took Spanish in High School, so I can kind of hold a
conversation in Spanish. And I took Chinese 101 my freshman
year, so I can understand, but can’t hold a conversation in
Chinese. My grandparents speak Mandarin, but I speak to
them in English.
How did you end up here at Cornell?
I always wanted to come here. Both my parents went to
Cornell and my older sister also went here. At first I was
unsure if I wanted to attend Cornell because my whole family
went here, but after visiting, I knew I really wanted to come.
So I applied early decision, which made the college decision
process much less stressful. My cousin also went here, so I
have lots of family ties to the University.
I believe that Cornell has so many opportunities that you can
really make it your own school. I’ve learned it’s not their
school, there is so much to do. Plus my sister graduated
before I even got here.
So then, how did you get connected to the Cornell Chimes?
I kind of wanted to try out for the chimes before I even got
into Cornell! I played the hand bells in high school and I
always thought the chimes are a really cool instrument. My
whole family is really into the chimes. At first I was afraid to
try out, because I’d heard the competition was really tough,
and I wasn’t confident in my musical background, but my
parents convinced me to try out… I guess I always wanted to
do it (become a chimesmaster) in the back of my mind.
Your case is unusual… often when I speak with chimesmasters
about how they discovered the instrument; it’s often a more
random occurrence (that they try out). This is kind of funny
given how the chimesmasters are (to the instrument).
Your Gift Matters!
Your gift to the Cornell Chimes General Fund or the
Unrestricted Chimes Program Endowment supports
the program, ensuring the chimesmasters play their
best.
Make your gift today at
http://chimes.cornell.edu/giving.html.
Yes, that was the case with me and Charlie (Xu ‘16). We had
a mutual friend from high school and I told him I was trying
out and he said, “Oh really?” And then he ended up trying
out too!
Have you arranged any music or written any compositions
for the chimes?
I’ve arranged one piece but haven’t proposed it yet… I am
not as into arranging music as some other chimesmasters. I
have a list of songs that I want to arrange, but I never have
the time. I have started a few arrangements, but never finish
them.
What piece or kinds of music do you like to play?
I definitely like to play songs that are slower, that show your
musicality more than technicality. For example the “Evening
Song” is one of my favorite songs. I like songs where you can
show off the expressiveness of the song, and analyze it more.
Something really fast like “the Rag” is harder for me.
Everyone comes from diverse musical backgrounds, what is
yours background?
I started playing the piano when I was about 7, and I have
been playing ever since. I played hand bells at my church
on and off in middle school and all through high school, so
for about six years. I also played a year of flute. So piano
and hand bells are the two main instruments I’ve played. I
also played the organ a little, but not too much… I sort of
stopped that.
So do you use the piano in the tower?
Yes. I do a lot! I used the piano a lot this past week, it helps
me when I am stressed and want to procrastinate. I used to
use the pianos in Lincoln Hall, but you need a key to access
them, and they are very crowded. I like having the piano in
the tower and use it a lot.
So what else are you involved in (beyond chimes and
academics)?
I am in a few clubs. I’m a member of Big Red Belief, it’s a
humanitarian group that organizes events and fundraisers for
international humanitarian causes.
I also just started doing something this semester called Friends
of Farm Workers. We tutor at farms in the Ithaca area, usually
to Spanish speaking workers.
Because of the wineries and other agriculture, the Finger Lakes
actually have a pretty big migrant community particularly in
the summer and fall.
Yes. You wouldn’t know it if you just stayed on campus. But
after my experience in Taiwan this summer, I really wanted
to keep teaching. It’s nice to go to farms and see something
outside of Cornell.
(continued on next page)
(Graf interview continued)
So do you think maybe you want to teach some day? You’ve
mentioned it a few times.
Yes. It is definitely something I’ve thought about so we’ll see….
of the bells and the donor. Although this paragraph does not
have an explicit author, I believe James likely wrote it, given
that he was interested in the role of editor, and was already
the chimesmaster.
What do you like to do in your free time? Like on a Friday
night?
Watching Netflix - I do that a lot! And I like just hanging out
with friends. I’ve been trying to see my friends more since I
won’t see them for a while with going abroad. I feel like the
chimes is my one thing that I really identify with here, and they
take up a lot of time. So when I’m already talking about them
my involvement elsewhere seems less.
Well there is no doubt that being a chimesmaster is big. It
is a huge commitment. I’m always amazed anyone can find
time to engage in anything beyond that! Thank you Emily for
meeting with me. I hope you have a wonderful experience in
Nepal!
A Look Back at Chimes History: Early Chimes Personalities
Daniel Zlatin MS ‘80
The January 30, 1869 issue has a letter signed by James where
he discusses the difficulty of getting music suitable to play on
the chime in its configuration at that time. Reproduced here
is just a portion of that letter.
We are coming up on the Cornell Chimes Sesquicentennial
in 2018, which got me to wondering what some of the early
commentary on the chimes was like. I stumbled across the
Cornell Digital Archive (http://digital.library.cornell.edu/c/
cuda/), and pulled out some interesting items.
Some of this information is mentioned or referred to in The
Cornell Chimes, the book by Ed McKeown, written in honour
of the tower’s centennial in 1991. (You do have a copy of
it, don’t you? It is available at the Cornell Store, of course!
http://chimes.cornell.edu/merchandise.html). But seeing it in
the original hand-set font brings home (to me, at least) more
of the feel of the time, and the almost 150 years between then
and now.
Many of the chimes-related material in the archive is from The
Cornell Era. This was the first student newspaper at Cornell,
and it is now available online.
In this article, I’m looking at items related to two chimesrelated personalities: James O’Neill and F. M. Finch.
James O’Neill was our first chimesmaster. His life and
writings have certainly been touched on in Ed McKeown’s
book (and others). I’ve collected a few items related to him
from those in print at the time; these may be new to some of
you. In addition to being our first chimesmaster, in the fall of
1869, James became an editor of The Cornell Era.
The November 28, 1868 issue printed a heartfelt appreciation
And on October 27, 1869, The Cornell Era contains what is
the first explicit attempt at fundraising for the chimes. Given
his position as editor that year, I cannot help but imagine that
this is another authored by James. (Since this time, we have
shifted what we call the bells down by one tone, so that what
is referred to here as “D” is our “C”, etc.
Francis Miles Finch is mentioned in two chimes-related
threads.
Reporting on the events of the university
commencement on October 7, 1868, The Cornell Era reported
that as Secretary of the Board of Trustees, he presented the
chime to the University. Neither Jennie McGraw, nor, a
year later, Mrs. Mary A. White, got to address the crowds
personally, at the time of the formal presentation of their
bells.
In fact, Finch had tendered his resignation to the Board the
previous day. He was not going far though, on October 30,
1868, he was appointed Legal Counsellor and Attorney to
the Board.
But the second chimes-related activity of Mr. Finch was when
he demonstrated his skills as a poet / songwriter. On January
23, 1869, The Cornell Era (Vol. I, No. 7), publishes what they
claim is “the first college song to which Cornell University
can lay claim”. It was sung by the Orpheus Glee Club at a
meeting of the Cornell Library Association. And that song?
Not “Davy”. Not “The Crew Song”. Not even the “Alma
Mater” or “Evening Song”. It was “The Chimes”!
A year later, April 20, 1870, The Cornell Era reports that the
song was published in New York. The cover of that newspaper
appears on page 20 of Ed McKeown’s book. Keith Jenkins
‘93 (KGJ) has determined that the so-called arrangement of
the song in our files (C204) is in fact not the music as it was
originally published!
Can we persuade, nay challenge, any current members of
the Board of Trustees to write a song about the chimes? In
my wildest fantasy, the chimes community would arrange
the music as published for the chime (a duet, maybe?) and
in October of 2018 we would persuade representatives of
the current Board of Trustees to climb the tower, where they
would be serenaded by this song, sung by chimesmasters
and accompanied by the chime. Think of it as a message,
as it were, from the Board of 150 years ago to the Board of
today. A proper sesquicentennial for the chime!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at some of the published
items relating to two personalities from our past. I may
be back in future newsletters with more from our (digital)
history!
Stay Connected with the Cornell Chimes, Chimes
Alumni and Friends, All Year Long!
Join the chimes alumni email list-serve A list-serve is
simply a collection of addresses that receive an email
when sent to just one address.
Follow the Cornell Chimes Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/chimes.cornell
Join the Chimesmasters Private Facebook group.
These are useful ways to quickly share news, ask questions, and get connected with the rest of the chimesmaster alumni.
Email chimes@cornell.edu to sign up.
Chimes Advisory Council Grows Unrestricted
Endowment; Prepares for Sesquicentennial
Scott Silverstein ’08, chimes co-chair
Lately, the Chimes Advisory Council (CAC) has taken
a visionary standpoint, looking toward the future and
asking what will the chimes be doing in five, ten, fifty
years. To that end, CAC has identified two major goals
to keep the program strong, with a new subcommittee to
spearhead each initiative.
With Cornell’s Sesquicentennial upon us, the chimes look
forward to our own Sesquicentennial in 2018, celebrating
150 years since the bells first rang at Cornell’s opening
ceremonies. We’d love to involve as many past and
present chimesmasters as possible in our celebrations,
and to achieve this goal Daniel Zlatin GR challenged
CAC to reconnect with chimesmasters and friends who
may have fallen out of touch. Daniel points out that past
Chimes Reunions in 1991, 2001, and 2010 have seen
only about 25% of alumni chimesmasters in attendance.
Participation from chimesmasters who played in the
1960s and 1980s is particularly low. The next Chimes
Reunion will likely coincide with our 2018 festivities,
and a key goal is to bring back as many chimesmasters
as possible.
and standing for the Chimes Endowment Information and
Contribution Solicitation Committee), our alumni held
monthly calls to brainstorm, discuss and execute ideas.
The first task was to elaborate a consistent message about
the endowment, and second was to facilitate continuing
contact with donors.
The landmark 2014 event of the CEICSC was the Donor
Appreciation Concert, to honor all donors from the prior
fiscal year. Committee members reached out to the top
donors, who had an opportunity to choose a piece to
be played during the concert, which took place during
Reunion weekend on the morning of Sunday, June 8.
Afterwards, a press release about the concert saw print
in the Ithaca Journal. We had a great time at the Donor
Appreciation concert and look forward to the next one
in 2015!
The CAC is not an exclusive group, and is comprised of
both current and alumni chimesmasters, spanning eight
decades. If you would like more information or if you
have comments to share, please contact chimes@cornell.
edu to get in touch with us.
What will the chimes To that end, the Outreach
Subcommittee is brainstorming new ways to reconnect
with chimesmasters. As Head Chimesmaster Kieran
Cantilina ’15 pointed out, “Bell-crazy people aren’t
exactly common in the general populace,” and this
unusual bond all chimesmasters share is a great place
to start. You can expect that we will reach out to you in
the future!
“What will the chimes be doing in five, ten, fifty
years?”
Our second priority is continued growth of the Chimes
Unrestricted Program Endowment.
Growth of this
endowment, together with support for the Chimes
Annual Fund will maintain the vitality and strength of
the chimes program in perpetuity. The seeds for this
endowment came from the chimesmaster reunion less
than five years ago and this fiscal year the program began
to reap the rewards by utilizing the annual payout to
support chimes staffing. As we near the $200,000 mark
for this endowment, we’re over 20% of the way towards
our $850,000 goal for total program self-sufficiency.
A second subcommittee is helping to grow this
endowment. Dubbed the CEICSC (said like “cakes”,
Time for a Museum Update!
We recently received a pair of McGraw Tower clock hands that
were salvaged from a dumpster during the renovation in 1999.
The hands were mounted and hung in the home of the late President Emeritus Dale R. Corson and his wife Nellie. Corson, a
physicist, had a strong interest in the chimes, and his children
gave a bell in their honor during the renovation. Their son, David W. Corson ‘65 asked if the program would like the clock
hands, and recently delivered them to the tower. We look forward to mounting them in our museum for display later this
year. Photo by Marisa LaFalce.
Chimes Advisor Report from GCNA 2015
Jennifer Lory-Moran ’96, ‘97
In June 2014, I had the opportunity to go to the annual
Congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs of North America
(GCNA) at the University of Denver in Colorado. The
weather was beautiful, the gold-plated tower shone in the
sun, and we listened to many lovely concerts played on
DU’s 65-bell carillon.
The week I spent in Denver was full of carillon concerts,
lectures, classes, business meetings, and conversations
with old and new friends. I attended master classes by two
different teachers, which I left appreciating that even when
discussing the basics of carillon technique, different teachers will have very different styles and advice. There were
a total of sixteen recitals throughout the week - eight given
by members of the GCNA, and eight by candidates hoping
to become members.
Can you imagine performing on this?! This pull-handle chimestand
from St. John’s Cathedral in Denver. Even bell expert Rick Watson
had never seen anything like it before! Photo by Jennifer Lory-Moran.
sentation on a model for teaching dynamics and legato to
beginning carillon students was fascinating. He provides
students with a mental image (inspired by an online game)
that takes into account how the sound from each bell begins
to decay as soon as it is struck and how this affects notes
that are played in succession. I left his presentation totally
rethinking my own model for chimes instruction in favor of
one that incorporates musicality more from the very beginning (as opposed to focusing more on technique).
Chimes Advisor Jennifer Lory-Moran ‘96, ‘97 tries the carillon at the
University of Denver. Photo provided by Jennifer Lory-Moran.
There were three talks during the week that made a particularly strong impression on me. First, I had the opportunity to hear composer John Knox speak about his musical
background and the criteria that he keeps in mind when
composing for bells. The whole Congress was dedicated
to John Knox and his work - almost every recital included
one of his compositions. Next, I enjoyed Ellen Dickinson’s
lecture “The Lifelong Learner: Foundations for Practice and
Performance”, which included specific and practical tips
for effective practicing, both on a practice stand and when
you are playing out loud. Finally, Jeremy Chesman’s pre-
The next GCNA Congress will be hosted by Jeremy Chesman
at Missouri State University, June 15-18, 2015. The theme
will be Carillon Education: Teaching and the Tower, and will
include discussions of carillon pedagogy, educating the public, recruiting audiences and players, and the history of carillon teaching. I expect many more exciting conversations
that will make me reflect on our program’s traditions and
how we can (always!) continue to improve.
Congratulations to our
May 2014 graduates!
Weijia Chen, Hyangmi Kwak, and
Barrett Smith
We will miss you!
The Cornell Chimes
B07 Day Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853-2801
Mark Your Calendar...
February 3-April 25
Annual chimesmaser competition.
March 28-April 5
Spring Break; concerts infrequent
April 27
Charter Day (150.cornell.edu)
May 6
Classes end, study period schedule begins.
May 23-24
Commencement weekend. Concerts, open house and senior
Hyangmi Kwak ‘14 engages a young reunion attendee - and perhaps,
recital.
future chimesmaster? -during Cornell Reunion last June. Photo by Cornell
May 25
Summer schedule begins - concerts infrequent.
Univeresity Photography.
June 4-7
Cornell Alumni Reunion Weekend - many concerts to be performed including our chimes donor appreciation concert.
œßœAlumni chimesmasters are encouraged to play!
August 25
Classes begin, regular concerts resume.